Shrewsbury chicken farm to triple in size despite manure worry

The applicant said the manure will be taken to anaerobic digestion site

A chicken farm is set to triple in size, despite concerns around manure.

Painsbrook Farm in Hadnall, Shrewsbury, will get an extra two free-range egg laying units, each housing 32,000 birds.

The plan was initially deferred over manure disposal concerns but the applicant has now said it will be taken to an anaerobic digestion site.

The scheme has now been unanimously supported by Shropshire Council's northern planning committee.

"We do need more eggs - the shelves are getting emptied at the moment," Councillor Mark Jones said.

The application was previously withdrawn in 2021, and then rejected in March 2022 after the committee said not enough information had been provided to address a series of concerns over the application, and refused the expansion.

At the time, planning officer Philip Mullineux said the application "falls well short" of the the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.